


A Nightmare of Judgment

by Lady_Sci_Fi



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:54:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21642529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Sci_Fi/pseuds/Lady_Sci_Fi
Summary: What happens if the Timelords know about the Doctor's and Sarah's relationship?
Relationships: Fourth Doctor/Sarah Jane Smith
Comments: 9
Kudos: 34





	A Nightmare of Judgment

**Author's Note:**

> For "Nightmare of Judgment" art: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13993362/chapters/50694182  
> Inspired by "The Gods Speak" by Dark Sarah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RhmzScEO5g

“Doctor?”

The Doctor looked up to Sarah, an expression of concern mirroring his own.

“Is something wrong?” She smiled a little in jest. “Have we ended up where we weren’t intending to again?”

The Timelord made a low sound of affirmation. “Deliberate this time. Like with Karn.”

“You think the Timelords again?” She adjusted one of the straps of her red and white overalls.

He nodded grimly. “As if interfering once like this wasn’t enough…” He sighed.

“Shall we see what they want from us this time?” Sarah suggested. “Probably important, like Morbius was.”

“Not important enough for them to involve themselves. Oh no, we can’t have that,” the Doctor grumbled.

Sarah laid her hand on loose white sleeve on the Doctor’s arm. She placed her other hand on the man’s abdomen, clothed in a loose white shirt. She walked her fingers up to where the skin of his chest was exposed from the loose strings of the top. He knew she liked when he wore it on their more romantic trips. “We’ll pop our heads out, see what it is, rectify it, and be back so we can go to… where was it, again?”

That brought the smile back to the Doctor’s face. “Yes, then onto Mouva Island.”

“A nice romantic getaway. The sooner we do this, the sooner we can be there.”

“Alright.” The Doctor brought her hand up to kiss the back of it before turning to the console. “But this had better be quick.”

The pair stepped out of the Tardis doors, into almost pitch blackness. Sarah reached out for his hand, and the Doctor took it without needing to look where it was.

“What-” Sarah started, but was quieted by the Doctor’s sudden low shushing sound.

It only took a few seconds for the Timelord to recognize the quiet steady sounds for what they were, and shouted out, “You might as well show yourselves.”

The Doctor felt Sarah flinch as lights suddenly came on. The room, more like a chamber, really, looked like a courtroom.

“A touch too much of the dramatics,” the Doctor replied. He tried to not let his anxiety show at the sight of the several Timelords in white gold-accented robes. He knew what it meant. He pushed on, “Must be very important indeed, for you to bring me here to tell me what you want me to do.”

“Doctor,” Sarah whispered, tugging on his sleeve. He turned to see what she had, the guards now standing between them and the Tardis. There was no easy escape now.

“Doctor,” one of the two Timelords in front of the stands addressed. She then stated, “You have been brought here for judgment.”

“Judgment?” The Doctor’s hearts skipped a beat at the verbal confirmation of his suspicion. And with Sarah here, with him… “I’ve heard that before,” he attempted to say dismissively.

“And yet,” responded the second Timelord. His expression was almost a sneer. “You still have not learned the lesson.”

The Doctor’s face hardened. “Oh, I’ve learned a lot of things since the last time you judged me.”

The female Timelord tilted her head slightly, her gaze moving from the Doctor’s to his side, where his hand was still entwined with Sarah’s. “I see, it is true then. You… walk with one of them.”

The Doctor mentally cursed and barely stopped his free hand from clenching into a fist. So that’s what this was about? He felt Sarah glance to him, but he didn’t return it. His mind was racing. What had happened last time to him and Jamie, what the Timelords had done to the young man without even knowing about their relationship…

“What of it?” the Doctor challenged.

“You know such things are forbidden. A Timelord with a Human?” The male judge snorted.

“What a restrictive outdated view,” the Doctor shot back.

“Such… people are beneath us,” the female judge said.

“Such a trivial thing. Not worth your time.” The Doctor’s hand tightened around Sarah’s as he turned back to the Tardis. They both froze at the guards raising their guns.

“Your continued insolence does you no favours, Doctor.”

“We decide what is worth our time. Not you.”

The couple turned back to the judges, and the Doctor drew Sarah in close to his side, his arm firmly around her shoulders. Her arm came around his lower back. “You exiled me to Earth. Forced me to stay there. And you expect me not to care for them?”

“Caring for Humans as a whole is one thing. But this…”

“You’re saying he can’t fall in love with one of us?” Sarah spoke up.

“Silence, girl! You will stay silent through the proceedings.”

Sarah opened her mouth to challenge that, but the Doctor’s arm around her tightened in warning, and she thought better of it.

“You brought us here,” the Doctor pointed out. “It truly bothers you so much that the person you exiled has found someone to share his life with?”

“We also granted you your freedom.”

“My freedom, yes! Freedom to-”

“Your freedom has conditions.” The male judge turned to his partner. “He does not deny it.”

The female nodded. “He only confirms it.” They looked back to the couple.

Sarah looked up to the Doctor, and he looked down to her. “Doctor…”

But he couldn’t give her any assurance, any comfort. They didn’t have many options. It sounded as though the Timelords had already made up their minds before they had arrived. He hadn’t been able to reason with them before, and didn’t expect to be able to this time, either. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said to her telepathically. He sensed her confusion before he stared at the judges.

“Let me take her home, and come right back,” the Doctor suggested. “You can even come with me to make certain I do return.”

“Doctor, no, you-” Sarah started.

“Sarah…” He whispered, “Let me protect you.”

“What will they do to you?” she questioned quietly.

“No,” refuted the judges in unison.

“No?” the Doctor echoed, his expression one of warning for the Timelords.

“It’s sad,” the female judge said with a sigh. “Because you don’t seem to understand when you are directly punished, she will pay for this as well.”

“Don’t you dare!” the Doctor hissed. His and Sarah’s hold on each other tightened. “Don’t you dare touch her!”

“You have no power here, Doctor.”

“Exile me again, trap me on Earth again.” He could deal with that again. He would with little complaint if it meant they wouldn’t hurt Sarah. And really, it hadn’t been so bad.

“We took your freedom for a reason, and now…” the male judge said. 

“Were Jamie and Zoe not enough?” the Doctor shouted. An old guilt rose in him as he said those names.

“This is your doing.” To the guards, the judges ordered, “Take her.”

“No!” The couple turned to try to get back to the safety of the Tardis.

But it was a lost cause. The guards attacked them to get them to back away, and then to separate them. They clung to each other as much as they could, the Doctor holding Sarah very tightly. He stared the pair of main judges in their faces. “No,” he refused. “You will not hurt her.” Her fingertips dug into his back as they fisted in his shirt.

He cried out at the hard blow to the back of his neck, but he still did not let go of the woman he loved. Her frightened voice muffled against his shoulder only gave him more strength, and he turned his head to press his mouth to her temple. “I love you.” He knew this was a losing battle, but he wasn’t going to give in. He wasn’t going to make this easy for them. Not for something this important.

A guard kicked the back of the Doctor’s knees, forcing him down to them and weakening his grip. Another seized Sarah’s shoulders and yanked her backwards. The Doctor’s hand tightened around the side of Sarah’s overalls, and hers on the sleeve of his shirt. A guard looped his arm around the Doctor’s neck and pulled him back, yanking his hair with his other hand.

The Doctor snapped his head back, catching the guard on the nose and loosening his grip. He shot up and forward, his other hand now finding Sarah’s. But before he could get back to his feet fully, someone jumped on his back and his elbow of the arm gripping Sarah’s side was kicked hard, forcing him to let go. But it would take more than that to separate their hands.

“This does neither of you any favours, Doctor,” one of the judges said.

The Doctor and Sarah ignored the warning, continuing to fight to stay together.

But a particularly savage strike to the Doctor’s temple with the butt of a gun dazed him. His hand loosened just long enough for Sarah’s to slip from it. “No! Sarah!”

“Doctor!” There was nothing Sarah could do to stop herself being half-carried, half-dragged away. The guards were far too strong. “Doctor!”

The guards wrestled the Doctor on his front to the floor, and all he could do was watch as they took Sarah from him. “Sarah!” he screamed, tears streaming down his face. “Sarah!”

********

The Doctor’s eyes flew open and his body shot upright. He quickly calmed his erratic breathing at realizing he was safe in their bed in the Tardis. He looked to Sarah, who shifted and made a tiny sound, but stayed asleep, to his relief.

He sat there for a long moment, simply watching her in the darkness. Then he softly ran his hand over her hair before stealthily pushing the blankets off his legs and getting out of bed.

His bare feet wandered towards his lab, his mind needing something to occupy his nerves and give him space to work through the nightmare. He found some partially-finished project and placed it on the countertop.

A while later, he heard Sarah come in before she sleepily asked, “Doctor?”

The Doctor didn’t look to her. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“Maybe? I mean, I turned over and you weren’t there. I waited a little bit for you to come back.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“That’s alright.” She stifled a yawn and went over to stand next to him. She smiled at the sight of him sitting there tinkering dressed only in pajama trousers. “Get itchy fingers in the middle of the night?”

“Not exactly.”

“Oh… the mighty Timelord have a nightmare?” she said lightly.

“Don’t…” the Doctor replied quietly, his voice nearly breaking. “Don’t jest… about that. Not… not right now.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean…” Sarah put her hand on his shoulder. “Was it about them?”

The Doctor’s hands stopped with that they were working on, and he nodded. He looked to her for a few seconds before turning away again. “What they did… what they could do…”

“To you, you mean? Your exile?”

The man made a sound of affirmation. Then he sighed before turning on the stool to face her fully. He briefly considered telling her everything about it, about how they had done more than simply exile him to Earth. But his other emotions overwhelmed that, and he stared at her. He took in every physical detail of the woman he loved, the woman who loved him in return. Her hazel eyes stared right back.

Then, he suddenly pulled her in close and wrapped his arms around her back. She returned the embrace.

“I love you,” he whispered against her temple.

“I love you, too,” she replied, placing a kiss above his ear.

They stayed like that for several minutes. Then Sarah pulled away and took his hand. The Doctor let her lead him back to bed.

It had only been a nightmare, he reminded himself. But his arm draped over her middle held her noticeably tighter than usual, and he nuzzled his nose to the back of her head with a touch of desperation. 


End file.
